Captain Kevin Sinfield breaks new ground with champions Leeds tonight in the first engage Super League game played in North Wales.

It is top versus bottom from 2009 at the Racecourse Ground as the Rhinos tackle Brian Noble's controversial new-look Crusaders.

Sinfield stopped short of joining team-mate Keith Senior in his condemnation of the Wrexham side's move from Bridgend.

But the England star believes RL bosses should concentrate efforts on returning Super League to a traditional hotbed of the game - Cumbria.

"I am disappointed Crusaders have moved within a year," said Sinfield. "It was good for the game to have them down in South Wales.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing from a player's perspective because it cuts down our travelling time.

"However, I can see the problem it has caused with administrators and fans who want to spread the gospel to different parts of the country.

"That's why I believe it should only be a matter of time before a Super League club is launched in Cumbria. It's crying out for one.

"We were lucky to spend a week training in Whitehaven.

"The passion those fans have for rugby league is unbelievable. We were treated like Premier League footballers. People wanted you in their town and wanted to make a fuss of you.

"I am not saying get rid of Crusaders or Wrexham. But I am saying Cumbria would be a great place for a Super League club to go."

Championship newcomers Barrow have ambitions to reach the top flight while Workington spent one season there in 1996, finishing the inaugural Super League campaign bottom with only two wins from 22 games.

Crusaders won three games last year but are unrecognisable from the side assembled by scholarlylooking Aussie John Dixon.

Leeds should win at a canter but cautious Sinfield insists: "I wouldn't say it's going to be a mis-match. It's a potential banana skin. They are a new club in a new area, trying to drum up support and get a big crowd behind them.

"Add to that, the coaching staff they have got and the way 'Nobby' (Brian Noble) has been able to motivate teams in the past... I am sure it will be really tough game."

Sinfield hoisted the Super League trophy for a record breaking third successive year last October. However, the Oldham-based skipper says Leeds' appetite for trophies has not yet been satisfied.

"When you have been to Old Trafford on Grand Final night and experienced picking that trophy up you want to feel that for the rest of your life," he said.